In a pulsating final at Sports Illustrated Stadium in the Big Apple, the Blitzboks edged Fiji 10–7. The Pacific Islanders were the only other side still in contention for the overall title, and they pushed South Africa all the way in a gripping contest.

South Africa struck early when the lanky speedster Gino Cupido crossed for the opening try. Captain Impi Visser ripped the ball from his opponent in a crunching tackle before offloading to send Cupido racing away for an unconverted try in just the second minute.

Gino Cupido. Photo: World Rugby

For the remainder of the first half, the two heavyweights traded blows. Fiji enjoyed the lion’s share of possession, but the Blitzboks’ defence was immense as they held firm to take a narrow 5–0 lead into the break.

Two minutes into the second half, Tristan Leyds added to South Africa’s advantage with an opportunistic try that was checked and cleared by the TMO. The playmaker was unable to add the conversion from near the touchline, but the Blitzboks had stretched their lead to 10–0.

Fiji refused to go away. After a period of sustained pressure, the Blitzboks’ defensive wall was finally breached when Terio Veilawa dotted down and converted his own try to reduce the deficit to just three points with about three minutes remaining.

Sensing their chance, the Fijians launched wave after wave of attack. At times, it felt as if the Blitzboks’ remarkable run might finally come to an end. However, with seconds left on the clock and Fiji just metres from the tryline, the ball was spilled in contact – thanks in part to desperate scramble defence from South Africa, with former captain Siviwe Soyizwapi putting his body on the line.

The drama was not over yet. From the resulting scrum, South Africa won a penalty, prompting jubilant celebrations. A quick tap followed before the ball was hoofed into touch to bring the dramatic final to an end.

The Player of the Final, and former Griffons scrumhalf Selvyn Davids, who scored his 100th Blitzboks try earlier in the tournament, said the team’s success came down to their willingness to fight for one another.

Siviwe Soyizwapi. Photo: World Rugby

“We didn’t always play the perfect game or execute everything the coaches wanted, but every time we ran onto the field we played for each other, our support system, and our country – that was a given,” said Davids.

“We left nothing out there, and that’s the most satisfying part of this overwhelming feeling of joy and contentment.

“Words can’t really describe how I feel. Being named Player of the Final was because of the team.  I couldn’t have done it alone. We worked incredibly hard for this, and it was worth every bit of the effort.”

The Blitzboks booked their place in the final with a 14–5 semi-final victory over Argentina, while Fiji beat Australia 28–7 in the other semi-final.

The next stop on the Sevens World Series is the iconic Hong Kong Sevens from 17 to 19 April. It remains the one tournament South Africa have never won, despite reaching the final four times – most recently in 2017, when they lost 22–0 to Fiji.

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek dg